CriticalDance Forum

<img src="http://www.userland.com.au/stamping/images/martin.gif" alt="" /> please see http://forum.criticaldance.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=11&t=000081 for STAMPING GROUND announcement and any discussion specific to that actual event...assuming it's not too difficult to work out where the distinction lies...sorry for starting two related threads at the same time!
<img src="http://www.userland.com.au/stamping/images/title.gif" alt="" />

their website: http://www.userland.com.au/stamping/

[This message has been edited by grace (edited June 25, 2000).]

(Edited by salzberg to fix link)

<small>[ 08-09-2002, 04:34: Message edited by: salzberg ]</small>

here's a related artcle about dance for young men in philadelphia: <A HREF="http://web.philly.com/content/inquirer/2000/06/22/city/NBALLET22.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://web.philly.com/content/inquirer/<BR>2000/06/22/city/NBALLET22.htm</A> <P>from the inquirer:<BR>"Nicholas Auerbach of Elkins Park has not heard of Mikhail<BR> Baryshnikov, but when the 8-year-old pitches a baseball, he calls it a<BR> half-pirouette."...etc.<p>[This message has been edited by Stuart Sweeney (edited June 24, 2000).]

Grace.<BR>Could you clarify for me what and where Stamping Ground occurs? I found the link a little confusing. I think this is a good idea. I liked the fact that after Gailene Stock's campaign concerning the image of the male dancer resulted in the situation now being, there are now more boys in the Australian Ballet School than girls. This is a very important thing. We need real men on stage, regardless of their sexuality.

michael, off the top of my head, and without checking the website (which peter stock, the organiser, acknowledges needs to be a bit more informative)...<P>it's been held for a few years, annually, at bellingen on the mid new south wales coast (that's east, for you NON-australians, poor underpriveleged people that you are!)...so maybe it's near to where YOU're from?<P>hey: YOU might want to get involved!!! <P>its a gathering of men and boys in dance, from all over australia; peter tells me thay always had stuff for females too - but i had never realised that - i thought women were banished!<P>much more than that i really do not know, but i agree with your comments above, and gailene is in the perfect position as a role model - with spartacus for a husband(!) - to promote this issue, isn't she? <P>i think peter will be providing us with more information...

My dance friends tell me that the situation in the UK is getting worse rather than better. One of the reasons that AMP are not planning to stage 'Swan Lake' again in this country is the problem of getting enough men and the knock-on impact it has on other dance companies.<P>Re. current training, my understandig is that the situation is also getting worse and there are real concerns that dance could become difficult to stage for the smaller companies. The leading ballet and modern dance schools already recruit overseas and this may be a trend which we see increase, unless something like the Australian experience can be repeated.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>One of the reasons that AMP are not planning to stage 'Swan Lake' again in this<BR> country is the problem of getting enough men and the knock-on impact it has on other<BR> dance companies.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>BAD News, eh?

this is the thread that i couldn't find last night when i posted the following article:<P>worth a read.....<P><A HREF="http://www.vix.com/menmag/jurek.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://www.vix.com/menmag/jurek.htm</A><BR> <BR> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>When I disclose that I am taking ballet class, some people are quick to save me. "It's for the exercise, right?" This is probably the most acceptable explanation. These people generally never bring up the topic again. They've found, or rather asserted, their answer. <P>While ballet is indeed good exercise, there are certainly many other opportunities and club facilities for physical training and health. I value and enjoy exercise, but it is at the bottom of my list of motivations to dance. - - -<P>Why, then, am I dancing? It certainly is fun. But beyond that, I'm dancing now, at this critical juncture in my life, to experience the sacred and "walk (dance) in beauty." My beauty: a man's beauty. It is spiritual as well as physical. - - -<P>My dancing is also an expression of anger in response to the shaming and hurt that American culture and business institutions have done to men. My dance can be thought of as a right-brain revolt, the logical next step in my "career." A man cannot and should not be continually re-establishing his merit and worth with intellectual achievements. <P>As an elder who has walked, sung, and danced a half-century on this earth, my worthiness is established in my mind and among men of spirit. My dance is my metaphor of revolt against living a life on the left side of the brain. Men need to be artists as well as intellectual warriors.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>

<B>maggie's response</B>:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>At first I thought this would be someone's superficial approach to finding themself with the usual cliches. ( there's plenty of that where I live, in addition to the legitimate.) <P>I thought it was a good article that addressed several interesting ideas. It is also apparent that he is very angry, and struggling with the many contradictions that life and culture present in our time. I think there are a great many people who feel this way, and feel helpless and apathetic. (The speed of life, or what we have manufactured as life, is indeed daunting.)<P>I also found his complaint interesting about men having to (continue) to prove themselves intellectually. I don't necessarily disagree with him here. <P>Women, on the other hand, are still trying to get to the place where they can prove themselves at all, much less have to continue. Their value, for the most part, is still placed on appearances. I am, of course, speaking broadly here. (As a broad.)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

And here is an article inspired by the movie Billy Elliot:<P><B><A HREF="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/11/01/DD21433.DTL" TARGET=_blank>Ballet -- It's for the Guys</A></B><BR>San Francisco Ballet students talk about `Billy Elliot,' and being male in a female-dominated world<BR>Jesse Hamlin, SF Chronicle

a wierd one!:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>The report undertaken by "dance inspectors" on behalf of the Scottish Executive, showed that men of all generations are shrinking violets when it comes to strutting their stuff on the dance floor, and, may actually be discouraged from doing so because of how dance was regarded at school.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR> <A HREF="http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/archive/31-10-19100-23-51-52.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/archive/31-10-19100-23-51-52.html</A>

the young men of ABT:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0043/gsolomons.shtml" TARGET=_blank>http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0043/gsolomons.shtml</A> <P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>...the breathtaking athleticism, virtuosity, and depth of its (ABT's) male talent rules. Three men are moving fast up the ranks: Herman Cornejo from Buenos Aires, just 19, Brazilian Marcelo Gomes, 20 (both dancing since age seven), and Colombian Carlos Molina, 25, have recently been promoted to soloist. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Interesting that one of them is from Buenos Aires - there must be some wonderful schooling going on there. It would be interesting to find out.<P>Paloma Herrera, Julio Bocca, and now Herman Cornejo.

valerie lawson for SMH on boys in ballet after billy:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.smh.com.au/news/0011/04/text/national19.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.smh.com.au/news/0011/04/text/national19.html</A>

btw, our member michael montgomery is currently substitute-teaching at the brent street school mentioned in this article.

from canada's wonderful infoculture service, a brief article about royal winnipeg school attempting to attract more boys...<BR> <A HREF="http://www.infoculture.cbc.ca/archives/dance/dance_11062000_rwb.phtml" TARGET=_blank>http://www.infoculture.cbc.ca/archives/dance/dance_11062000_rwb.phtml</A>